THE RESTING PLACE (2022) - Review

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
On sale: March 29, 2022

Although the plots are different, the structure of "The Resting Place" is similar to Sten's earlier book "The Lost Village" (2021) with strong visual images that suggest this also would make a good, scary movie. Told in the first person in the present and interspersed with a voice from the past as the secrets are revealed. Another well-done translation from the Swedish by Alexandra Fleming.

FIRST SENTENCE: "The light in the small room is cold, the stark, white glare of an eco-friendly bulb."

THE STORY: Eleanor saw her grandmother Vivianne's murderer. She thinks she should know who it was but she suffers from prosopagnosia or face blindness. Using unique facial features she can recognize people but it's easy enough to conceal one's identity. Fixating on the fear that the murderer could be anyone and anywhere, Eleanor is full of anxiety which is intensified when a lawyer calls to tell her that Vivianne has left her the large Victorian summer home that has been abandoned for years. Wanting to learn her family's secrets, Eleanor, her boyfriend Sebastian, her cousin Veronika, and the lawyer head to the remote location to begin an inventory of the house.

In the beginning when odd things happen, it is easy for them to be dismissed, but Eleanor suspects they are not alone. Is she right or still emotional since the death of her grandmother?

WHAT I THOUGHT: This is a "stay up late to finish" kind of story. The author has mastered the art of ending each chapter with a hook to make the reader turn just one more page. The creepy atmosphere keeps everything slightly off-kilter.The writing is fine and the characters are interesting, but the relationships and the true identities of the people are confusing. It wasn't until I was halfway through that I began to understand who was who; because although there aren't a lot of characters, the women all had two names with one starting with "V": Victoria, Vivianne, Veronika. The ending felt rushed and a bit contrived.

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for suspense and thriller readers.

DISCLAIMER: Thank you to NetGalley / Minotaur St. Martin's Press, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

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